![]() ![]() ![]() While the Kindle and Nook 3G readers have no monthly access fees, the iPad 3G's data plans start at $15 a month. "Are consumers willing to pay a little more, and sacrifice some reading comfort, for all that capability? Probably." ![]() ![]() "The e-readers do just one thing - no Web surfing, no video," Weiner noted. The Nook 3G, now $60 cheaper than its original $259 selling price, offers free Internet connectivity over a cell phone network to Barnes & Noble's e-book store.Į-reader manufacturers were banking on the easy reading ability of the E-Ink technology, which boasts a backlight-free display and reflects light like regular paper does, to make their devices must-have gadgets.īut the release of the Apple ( AAPL, Fortune 500) iPad has pushed e-readers toward obsolescence, Weiner said. The Wi-Fi version is 11.6 ounces, versus 12.1 ounces.īeyond those small changes, the Wi-Fi version includes the same specs as its pricier cousin, including a 6-inch E-Ink display and 2 gigabytes of memory, which can hold 1,500 books. The Nook Wi-Fi, which will begin shipping this week, looks almost identical to the 3G, except the new model's removable back cover is white instead of gray. "We've only begun to see the price cuts." "With new tablet technology, reading-only devices have been forced into a race to the bottom," said Allen Weiner, analyst at Gartner. The Kobo and Nook Wi-Fi rely on having a wireless network available.Ī recent study from IT research company Yankee Group said the $150 price point is a "sweet spot" for e-readers, at which sales should soar. With the Kindle or Nook 3G, readers can download books from almost anywhere they can reach a cell network. Cheaper than many competing readers, the Kobo sold out its first run and will begin shipping another wave of pre-orders next month.īut Amazon now has the cheapest 3G e-reader. Barnes & Noble's move sets the Nook's entry-level price level the same as the Kobo, an upstart e-reader backed by Borders. ![]()
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